Pedicure – Ramana's Musings

Bliss Thanks To Excellent Customer Service.

From the time that Covid hit us more than two years ago, the one luxury that I have had to forego was my monthly pedicure and foot massage. Except for one brave outing after the total lockdown was lifted, I was hesitant to go out for one and depended on my son to trim my toenails which he gladly did but, could not very well be asked to do the rest of the rigmarole.

For the past two weeks, I had been toying with the idea of venturing out for a pedicure again but have been put off by the heat and humidity. The day before yesterday during our evening chat, my wonderful daughter in love suggested that I try a home pedicure. Considering the daily temperatures above 40 deg C, I readily agreed to give it a try and she booked for one online.

The slot that was allotted to me by The Urban Company, the service providers was 4.30 pm. The pedicurist was bang on time and rang the door bell exactly on time. On my asking him if I needed to provide anything to help him carry out his job, he said that he just needed a plug point to connect his foot bath and a tap to get some water. He was wearing a mask and throughout his time at home, he did not remove it even once.

He then proceeded to unpack his goodies from this case.
He then opened the bag of tricks and pulled out this stool on which he was to sit on.
He next pulled out this foot bath.
Next, he pulled out a small case from which he took out all the tools of his trade and spread them out on a sheet.
Next, he filled the foot bath with water, plugged it in to heat the water up and proceeded to trim my nails while sitting on the stool that he had brought with him while I sat on my easy chair.

Once the water was hot enough, he had me soak my feet in it and proceeded to carry out the rest of the pedicure with efficiency and care. I was more than satisfied with the treatment.

He finished on time, just short of an hour from the time that he started and packed everything in his bag and left with a cheerful “bye bye sir!”. The total cost including the tip that I gave the young man came to just a little over what I would have spent with my regular pedicurist. I have no complaints on that score.

I am sold on this company’s service which offers many other services too and have decided to not only use more of them but, also refer my contacts to them.

Do you have a similar service available where you live?

Small Pleasures.

I experienced a very painful attack of food poisoning early last week and the cure which included some strong antibiotics, was worse for its side effects. While the pain disappeared, the unease and listlessness lasted well into the weekend but, the worst of it all was my inability to sleep like I am used to.

Anyway, after the major side effects wore off I decided to go for a hair cut and a head massage with my usual barber.

The head massage should have made me sleep well but, it did not.

So, yesterday, after almost after a year, I went for a pedicure and foot massage and that did the trick.

I slept very well last night.

Three instances of small pleasures.

Another of the small pleasures was my having overslept. I woke up this morning, two hours after my normal time and found myself totally refreshed and amazed at having over slept.

The best of the small pleasures however was that after over a couple of decades, I did not have to make my morning mug of tea and had the pleasure of getting one delivered by my daughter in love. She had woken up at her usual time, and having seen me oversleeping, let me do so and waited for me to wake up to give me tea.

I wonder if there is a moral there somewhere in that story!

Small Pleasures.

After a dry spell of three days, the monsoon revived again this afternoon and I got up from my siesta to petrichor. Sitting in our verandah and watching the rain fall in our garden is one of my favourite pastimes and I indulged in it till the showers lasted.

Last year I was in better physical condition than I am now in and I was able to make short visits outside our home and I had gone to a reunion of ex colleagues at Lonavala during the rains. Till a few years earlier, every monsoon I used to go to Mahabaleshwar at least once during each monsoon but, all those are now distant memories.

I am at least mobile enough inside the home to be able to enjoy such a small pleasure that I am grateful enough to appreciate such small pleasures like petrichor and rain watching.

I am also very grateful that I am blessed with two young people in my life who pamper me. My pedicurist is closed due to the lockdown and since I cannot bend down to clip my own toe nails, my son Ranjan obliged. AND my daughter in love sneaked up from behind me and took this photograph to save the moment for posterity.

Thank God The Turban And Not The Head Went.

தலைக்கு வந்தது தலைப்பாவோடபோச்சு.
Thalaikku vandadu thalappavoda pochu.
The Turban And Not The Head Went. (A flood is implied)

That is an adage in Tamil when someone expresses gratitude for getting away with a small mishap instead of a big one.

I had to say this on two occasions yesterday and today.

Yesterday, after the movie was over and we got up to leave the theater, Ramesh left first as he was sitting on the aisle seat and he was in a hurry to make a phone call. I got up and while navigating the aisle seat, tripped and fell, but was fortunately held from a total fall by three young people who were coming down behind me. I was disoriented for a while and when Ramesh saw that I was back on the seat, he came and enquired from the youngsters as to what happened and was very concerned that he missed the action. I conveyed the adage to him in Hindi,

Earlier today, I had gone walking to my pedicurist who has set up a new saloon about 15 minutes walk away from my home and on the way, tripped on a protruding tile on the footpath and fell flat on my face. I was again helped up by some young people who tried to get me to get into an automobile to be taken home but I refused and managed to walk to the saloon. Nooruddin the pedicurist saw the condition of my clothes and asked and expressed his regrets to who too I shared the adage.

Other than a bruised ego, there was no damage but on both occasions, things could have been worse.

My spiritual Guru used to share a story often with his students. A lady student asked him why despite attending his classes for many years, her mother in law was such a tyrant at home. Swamiji would respond by asking her to imagine how the mother in law would be had she not been attending his classes!

I am grateful that I can think of such an adage and feel content that things could have been worse.

Male Insecurity.

I recently read a fascinating article on male insecurity to which I will take my readers after they read this post about female insecurity.

One of The problems that needed periodic attention during my traveling days was a couple of corns on my toes that would not go, no matter what kind of shoes I bought. I had reconciled myself to a life time of going to a pedicurist, aka chiropodist regularly. I can tell you they were my guardian angels for many years.

The problem disappeared after I had settled down to activities that did not need long hours spent in airplanes and airports wearing shoes. I have not had a corn bothering me since 1998.

I now go to pedicurists to get my nails clipped and to get a foot massage and those experiences are much cherished outings too.

I digress. I seriously considered going into practice as a pedicurist after retirement as I thought that it was a service that will be much appreciated in and around the suburbs where I lived from where people had to commute to the city to get to the only two pedicurists in town. My readers must be cautioned that those days the ubiquitous Beauty Parlours and unisex saloons that exist now did not exist to the same degree as they do now and I thought that it is a nice niche to get into.

And this is when the female insecurity cropped up. My late wife and love of my life put her foot down and said nothing doing. Her argument was that I would get female clients and that was inviting trouble spelt with a capital T. She had no problems however with my going to a female pedicurist to get my nails clipped!

So, this article sent me on that little story from my eventful life.